5 Ways Dyslexia Can Affect Your Child’s Social Life Having dyslexia can sometimes contribute to social issues on top of learning difficulties.

Social Challenge #1: Your Child Doesn’t Get the Joke

The dyslexia link: Dyslexia can make it hard for your child to understand jokes or sarcasm.How you can help: Tell jokes or stories at the dinner table to help your child practice responding.

Social Challenge #2: Your Child Has Trouble Finding the Right Words

The dyslexia link:Kids with dyslexia can’t always find the words they want to say—especially if they feel strongly about the topic or need to respond quickly.How you can help: Give your child time to think. Slow down the overall pace of the conversation.

Social Challenge #3: Your Child Misses Social Cues

The dyslexia link: Kids with dyslexia might not pick up on body language, facial expressions and other social cues.How you can help: Watch your child’s favorite shows the volume off. Ask your child to guess how a character is feeling based on his body language.

Social Challenge #4: Your Child Hesitates to Message Friends

The dyslexia link: Kids with dyslexia may shy away from texting because they have trouble understanding the abbreviations.How you can help:Show your child how the abbreviations work. Some are based on spelling (“idk” for “I don’t know”) and others on how letters and numbers sound (“l8r” for “later”).

Social Challenge #5: Your Child Remembers Things Inaccurately

The dyslexia link: Dyslexia can make it hard to recall specific words or details. This can lead to confusion about what friends said.How you can help: Play games that can help strengthen memory. Have your child name the different kinds of cars on the street and then say the names back to you a few minutes later.

Not fitting in can take a toll on your child’s self-esteem. But there are many ways you can help your child build confidence, improve working memory, develop strong social skills and avoid hurt feelings.